Chasing Light

Great photos! The absence of traffic and snow covered street make the scene look it was from another century. The space looks so human-sized and reminds me of paintings, Breugel, the Dutch artist did of villagers playing in the snow in the 16th century. I hope it was as fun for everyone as it looks. Did people choose sides? Was it a free for all? Was there a feeling of community? How did it end?

Awesome. Just . . . awesome.

Apparently this was started by some kids from Florida:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=211278819460&ref=mf

People did take sides with occasional charges into the other’s lines and the occasional ganging up on a chosen individual. It was so much fun. I only saw maybe 45 minutes of it then the crowd density thinned out and the fight faded. Everyone was yelling “Only in New York!”

And I did catch a few in the face but since I was not exactly protecting myself, I must have been an easy target.

Breugel?! Thanks for that!

I had been wandering the streets for a few hours and the city was pretty deserted except for Times Square. I heard that there was an organized snowball fight in Union Square today but it could not have compared to the spontaneous gathering last night.

-Doug

Hey! great photos! There’s a Facebook group for it now: The Times Square Snowball Fight of 2009.

Wonderful comparison with Breugel…gives it all a whole new dimension.

What absolute fun. It makes me feel joyful.

Jane

That looks like fun I missed the big fight I guess LOL

When is the next one

Awesome pictures. Even better that they are not in color. This is art show material.

Where is QUITA in the picture? She likes snow

Bloomberg’s notion of closing down part of Times Square to traffic doesn’t look so dumb after all.

“Only in New York” — precisely.

Fabulous pictures of a fabulous event! We are all kids at heart and the photographer has captured that nicely.

Those photos are fantastic — really love them! A friend of mine lives in NYC, and she said one of her best memories of being there was just after a big snow storm a few years ago. She walked down the middle of Broadway in Times Sq. with her dog … in utter silence.

at least the cops did not break this snow ball fun up with their guns drawn! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8424836.stm

If only for a moment humanity sheads the cloak of idiocy that is adulthood and exposes the elemental heart of the playful and innocent child that exists at the core of us all. Behold, if only for a moment, heaven existed in Times Square.

This looks like so much fun. Amazing pictures. Its like time stopped at busy TimeSquare so everyone played.

New Yorkers just wanna have fun…

Loved your photos! Makes people fall in Love with New York! Awesome! Thank you , thank you!

These pictures are great!! That was one of the best times we ever had in our life!! lol! Thanks for the great pics!

Absolutely beautiful photographs. This sounds like it was a once in a lifetime moment and I’m grateful you were there to capture. Well done!

Well said MikeT, well said!

THE PICTURES ARE WONDEFULL. THEY SHOW US THAT THERE IS JOY IN THE SIMPLEST THINGS. WE AS HUMANS NEED MORE TIMES LIKE THAT.

Thanks for the photos. It is nice to know that even in a huge city like New York strangers can still let down their guard and have fun together. There was naked happiness on peoples` faces. That is so much more in the spirit of the holidays than any hallmark moment.

Amazing photographs. Looked like some vintage photos taken from the 50’s. To see Americans with smileson their faces, you can see he joy and happiness in the pictures. We need that in this era. A reminder of how life can be so innocent and fun no matter your age

Fabulous photos! I gave you a little link love this morning as I’d been blogging about snow in Venice.
http://www.gypsysguide.com/2009/12/link-love-frozen-venice.html

Great work!

Who says the news can’t be good? Best news story of the year!

Wonderful photos of a wonderful event. It’s good to see children being children in this age.

Nothin can beat the spirit of NYC…You guys Rock!!!!

LOVE IT! Wish I was there!

I don’t much when it comes to famous Photographers, I only know of Karsh, but, I would compare these photos to any of the great photos of eras gone by.

I have never had the privlage of visiting New York City, though I have always wanted to… seeing these pictures, makes me want to go even more, which is odd since, I really do hate Winter and Snow.

We get so much of it here, and there is very little in the way of fun when it comes to the snow. To see a city like New York stop, if even for a few minutes, and take the time to enjoy it, is so amazing.

I doubt you’d ever be able to have something like that here in this stuffy Gov’t town. I have to say well done NYC, and especially well done to an obviously greatly talented Photographer.

Thanks for reminding this Winter hating Canadian, that Winter isn’t entirely bad, you just have to make it fun…

Denis
Ottawa, Canada

I love the photos. I get a strong sense of camaraderie between people who don’t even know each other but happen to be at the same place at the right time. Surreal.

I only visited New York City once, and I loved the people. The care-free atmosphere is refreshingly paradoxical. This story did not surprise me. I love New York. I can’t wait to go back.

Good times in Times Square – it’s all fun and games until someone gets an eye put out, then it’s just fun and games that they can’t see anymore!

wow these pics rule! The black and white makes it even better! wish i could have been there

Great Action..felt all warmed up……and loved the girl doing the “angel” on the ground…thanks

that was not a fucking blizzard you pussies. thats like a light covering

I recently moved to the West Coast and am missing New York immensely around this time of year. It really is about the simple things in life, and this truly captures the spirit of the Holiday season.

Thank you for your beautiful photographs.

Only in New York! I love this city!

Great shots btw.

So refreshing to see so many people smiling and having fun together!

I couldn’t help but notice that the guy atthe bottom of the pile in the last photo appears to be wearing hockey skates. Is there a rink in Times Square somewhere?

Wonderful, wonderful photos! I had such an overwhelming sense of joy from these pics and agree with Mike T’s comments wholeheartedly.

Thanks for such great photos and sharing the joy in Times Square with everyone.

Love the pictures! What sweet joy everyone is experiencing! Especially like the kid with the grin on his face and the missile in his hand, cocked to take out the photographer

I am a midwest girl and love NYC! I visit at least twice a year. I wish I could have been in TimeSquare to see this sight in person. Beautiful pictures. Thank you so much for sharing.

OHHHHH! THIS IS MY HOMETOWN! THIS is what I loved about NY. Food parties during blackouts, people helping people during crises…bigass impromptu snowball fights with total strangers!!!
THIS is what makes people die hard NYers this feeling that in this big ass city you can STILL CONNECT with others when you really NEED to – even if its just to play.
LOVE the pictures! Even though I’m sitting here in hotass San DIego where it was 71 degrees this am at 6:30 (I’m totally serious) 6 days before Christmas, …
I’M WITH YOU FOLKS! IMMA BRONXGIRL FOREVER!!! I love NY!
You can say what you want about the city and the powerbroker scum that infect it like a STD, ah but the PEOPLE of NY, their hearts at times shine like GOLD! The 13 CANNOT hold this city down for long.

I am in love with these photographs! I’m so happy I saw them on cnn.com. I linked to your slideshow from my own blog, hope you don’t mind. Congrats on awesome photographs – like I said in my blog, you made my day!

OH! I almost forgot to THANK the photographer profusely.
THANK YOU DOUG. THANK YOU DOUG.
These pictures made my day.
Oh and Kirk, yes in Central Park there is a rink he was probably coming from there on the subway Times Square is a big transfer hub in the system and he probably heard the laughter and went to investigate.

Really incredible and breathtaking. I’ve been missing NYC for a few months now while overseas and always tried to explain to my friends the essence of the city and these capture it amazingly. Wonderful!

I was in need of a smile today. Thanks to these photos, I got one. Thank-you Doug Kim for these wonderful photos. Wish I were in NYC now.

Truely the best story I’ve heard in a long time. It’s nice to know that there is still good in the world.

Fantastic! It’s amazing to see people who probably never met until that moment breaking out and having fun with each other. My compliments to you sir for sensing a moment that I can only describe as an example of the magic that still resides in humanity and capturing it for others to relish in.

“Only in New York”

What?

My dear friends in NYC you didn’t invent spontaneous snow ball battles. There have been spontaneous snow ball fights in my city after big snows for years…I would assume since the begining of time. They’ve been in streets, city parks, school football fields, and a lot of other wide open spaces. So it’s not “Only in New York” as you might think. There’s world going on outside your city.

None the less, I’m glad everyone had fun as I did in the battle in my town on Saturday.

Happy Holidays….and let it snow….more!

Priceless!!!

I LOVE these photos. way to go NY for making the best of the situation – it is lovely to see such impromtu fun – wish I had been there to join in!!

Living in South Australia means no snow, so these pictures take me back to my childhood days in London. We used to stare out of the window at xmas hoping for snow on xmas day. Thank you for the memory.

Every City should have random snowball fights. It’s one way to get the 8-5 relief.

This is awesome!! Love the NYorkers sharing fun, laughs and nothing better than a good snowball fight! Way to go NY!

OMG– I’m so happy you posted these.. I was there and got to experience it. This is one moment I will never forget. We had so much fun. It was my first trip to NY too! Amazing!

Only in… any city where snow falls and shuts down the city.

The students in Madison, WI did the same thing last week.

This is absolutely GREAT! Good job. Excellent photos. Been telling everyone I know about this series. Thanks.

Just amazing photos! Make me miss it there!

Love the black and white and it to repeat all of the others is a different Times Square, I remember the millenium where noone could leave once inside to use a restroom!

Thanks for the awesome pics….makes me homesick

For those who poo-poo it, take a breath. New York City is so frequently slammed from so many directions that when a pure moment occurs, New Yorkers are justified in glorying in it. The weather truly affects people.

I live in New York but instead found myself walking down the middle of Old York Road in Elkins Park PA late on Saturday night with my honey. We stepped aside to let the rare vehicle drive by. The woman stopped in the middle of the road and rolled down her window, asking if we were okay.

A simple kindness from a stranger, attributed in my mind to the weather. It is soothing, humbling and delightful to be in the middle of a storm like that. It brings out the joy within many. Of course New York City isn’t the only place to enjoy a heavy snowfall. But it is the rare city moment that appears from the photos to be devoid of agenda, nuance or negativity.

Pure moments are frequently the purvey of the under-5 population. I say a nod and a smile for the adults who let loose and had fun.

Fun without strings is an almost lost quality in life in 2010.

Viva Fun !!!

Peter

The difference between the DC snowball fight and the nyc Union square is this..the DC snowfight was at a MAJOR intersection..where traffic and people walked upon a narrow sidewalk..the location was not one of the best to have a snowball fight..becuz it would have involved those who are not or would know what is going on ..as the under cover policmen indicated..THAT should have been a CLUE it was over.then to not understand what just happen to ainnocent by-stander?..Who happened to be a policemen..plus the traffic travelling right thru the area as well,? it was STUPID thing to do..not a SAFE thing to do at a traffic intersection,.as a fact. ..go to a park like other little children who want to have a snowball fight and where little girls make snow angels..

These pictures are amazing, how a world can just stop and forget about their troubles just that once and enjoy the small things in life that we take for granted. Im from Northern Ireland and if that happened over here, people would be on the phone to the Police for GBH. Its unfortunate but its just how the world seems to be…

Rachael (Northern Ireland)

Etheral and beautiful. Glad you were there to capture it for the rest of us who were not there!

Sheila (former NYer living in San Fran)

I love that you have captured JOY in place of war. I have seen similar images so many times of, yet thronging rocks, or cocktails instead of fun filled snow balls. So many different walks of life simply enjoying the snowy night.

Well captured.

I found myself smiling as I viewed. Thank you. You captured the moment beautifully.

I live where we see as much snow but not nearly with som uch life and energy.

Thx NYC for making winter so much fun.

ps . I live up the Atlantic coast in Moncton, NB Canada

This was so awesome, I had a great time. did see you there taking the pictures, thanks so much for bringing back these memories

Awesome to be there and take part at the beginning. We had just finished our late dinner @ Maxie’s and started walking through the square snapping some photos when it started to break out.

Great fun!

The photos were great and the whole idea of it is great…People just having a good time with one another. We all need to do stuff like that more often!

Wow great photos!!!!! Fun fun fun,

several years ago my cousin and i were in central park and something very similar happened. the snow was falling heavily, there was already lots of snow on the ground. we started playfully throwing snowballs at couples, people having a good time. of course people responded, the snow started flying and within maybe 30 minutes there was a huge conflagration in the park. it was a blast, took over the whole area, included bridges and rocks and trees. there were definite sides but no allegiances. all in fun. eventually the media showed up and started asking how it all started. that was back in 2000 or 2001, around new years eve.

THOSE WERE SOME GREAT PICS. I WISH I WAS THERE, IT LOOKED LIKE SO MUCH FUN. THATS WHAT NEW YORK IS ALL ABOUT….

What a wonderful thing. And it speaks volumes without having to say a word. A nice, early Christmas present for the entire world.

THANKS DOUG!!!!

Events like this, though rare, are a true measure of the city’s spirit and that of it’s people. This is awesome! Both, Times Square New York in that moment and the way you’ve captured it, Doug. Simply beautiful!

Zulekha (Abu Dhabi)

I want to thank everyone for the kind words! I am just honestly glad that I happened to show up at Times Square when I did.

This series to me is the point of real photography: not to make something or someone beautiful, but to record something beautiful, something fleeting, a wisp of a moment that will never be repeated again.

This little event on Saturday night was recorded in a handful of images, no longer in total time than a fraction of a second. These photos succeed because they speak to all of you, whether you’re in your own foot of snow or somewhere where the sun is still blazing. If I can capture an image that becomes a trigger to make people think, feel, or remind them of something, then I have done my job.

Thanks again for looking and the comments.

And to the skirmishers who got me in the face while I was shooting, nice arms and thanks for not hitting my gear.

Now, go out and play.

Doug Kim (the photographer)

I LOVE this!!

Super duper! just the way GOD wants us to live r lifes.

Great pictures Doug. We do not get much of a chance at snowball fights down here and it looked like some awesome fun. An earlier post mentioned the difference between the DC snowball fight and the NYC snowball fight was where it was held. There were no difference between the two except NYC did not have a JA Detective (the only person that had a problem with it) wanting to show his authority or should I say un-called for authority. It also appeared he deliberately drove through the area knowing it was going on with the intention to show his a** and he did a good job doing so. The one in DC had gone on for hours with other DC police driving through without having a problem with it then comes along the one that wants to make it a problem for all.

Good show NYC you did not let anyone down. I enjoyed the pictures and if I had known about it and could have gotten a flight up I would have enjoyed joining you for a good snowball fight.

Wayne, Atlanta, GA

I wish I was there..

these are the photos people will be looking at 40 years from now… “whoa, snow ball fight in times square! man. must have been good back then…”

Wow, amazing photos! I wish I was there – what an incredible vibe! It’s awesome how complete strangers can suddenly become buddies in a moment.

I’m sitting in HOT South Africa and suddenly reminicing about my good times in the States, and my wonderful time in NYC. Love that city. I snuck some shots from the NY Times on my blog of central park…

woot thanks!

Wow, great photos! How you kept hold of the camera with all that going on is beyond me!

it made me feel pride in my country for once in long time. great photos man.

!!! Why does New York get to have all the fun??!! And all the snow?? Dang it mild and rainy Vancouver, Canada!!!

I bet the cops even got in on this throwing a few snow balls. NYC is the best. People there know how to take advantage of having fun. I really wish i was there. Merry Christmas everyone.

The question is WHY! Because they know to enjoy the time and life. And the snowfall is there, not here. Nice photos and ambience!

The landing on the Hudson of the US. Airways plane and this NYC snowball fight, are the two greatest LOVE stories in a long, long time. But you need someone who knows how to READ that language called LOVE, in order to translate it so we can all understand a language that many times is dormant in the deepest corners of our hearts, and for one reason or another we do not let it flow free spontaneously, the only way LOVE itself knows how to flow. Doug you are a magnificent translator. I know “you know what I mean”.

Raul Feliciano Sanchez
Houston, Texas

I like this, its good to see that we still have some lightheartedness in us even in a city like New York City.

Having moved recently after many years in NYC, I’ve been missing it especially now at Christmastime. Thanks for reminding me what made it such a special place for me and for giving a me a little taste of the white NYC Christmas…

Love these. Thanks for the smile.

Man, I so miss NYC. I can’t wait to leave this hell hole in the south and get back to reality.

I am so surprised these didn’t make it to The New York Times, to see people and strangers at that, having fun in the middle of the night in New York City – this is why I love NYC – and yes only here with the spontaneity did this come to pass – Let’s hope someone picks up this story – it’s simply beautiful on many levels….great photo work!

I believe everyone is saying the same thing.
That we need more things like this.
I mean, I find it so cool that everyone came together for it. Un-organized and seems like alot of fun.

I dont no if i can put it into words but, this just gives me hope that, maybe, we can change and come together more often? Help others more often?

I dont know!
to the photographer… Your shots are amazing. I read a comment about how the b&w, with no cars and all makes it look other century-ish. Love it
Great Captures.

what great pictures! thanks for sharing.

Drea

I might make you think about Breugel, but he was Belgian, no Dutch at all.
great photo’s, I bet you got several cold balls against your face at that point xD

They’ll try to organize this next year, with sponsors and fake snow, and nobody will show up.

A hundred random strangers in the busiest place on Earth stopping to enjoy a harmless game. So beautiful.

I suppose in a place not particularly known for kindness any display of human spirit should make the news.

Breughel was flemisch / Belgian!

Nice! Very nice…..I’d like to see the next one on the White House lawn….

These are great pictures! Make me homesick for Vermont!

I know you’ve been flooded with comments, and will be even more so now that there’s a link to this page in the Times today (how I found you), but I have to tell you how incredible your photos are. You are incredibly talented. You captured the joy & spontaneity perfectly. I feel like I was there, which I wish so much that I had been. Talk about the right time at the right place.
Congratulations on an incredible set of photos.

Thank for for making me smile today.

Perhaps this will encourage New Yorkers to not take themselves so seriously so often! When the burden of maintaining the rotation of the Earth is lifted from your shoulders, you have the opportunity to enjoy life a bit…

There was a snowball fight like this the same day in D.C. on 14th street but a cop in a hummer pulled up, and after being hit in the face with a snowball he pulled out his gun.

WOW, unbelievable, AWESOME, so much snow in the middle of the CITY, fun fun FUN,
………. pictures = 10 million words!!!!!!

What wonderful pictures! I came across these on the cnn.com website. Growing up in northern NJ and knowing how fast-paced the city is, it was great to see more playful, candid pictures of Times Square! Looks like it was a fun time! Captured some great moments that made my heart smile! Thank you for sharing!

Note: due to demand, prints can be purchased now at SmugMug. For higher end archival prints, please email me directly. Happy holidays everyone!

Doug Kim

Cool photos.Fitting, to see a “West Side Story” banner in back ground. Too bad the old ‘Zoot-Suiters’, Lords of Flatbush and other ‘Gangs of New York’ couldn’t settle a dispute the way this gang did. Keep up the good work. And thanks Doug.

Thanks for reminding us that sometimes the most important thing in life is stop and play for a while. You should consider submitting some of these to the next NWF photo contest. There is a category for these types of shots.

What a great city, this looks like a lot of fun, i miss NYC and cant wait to return.

That was perfect! Really nice photos and captures! Was that a scheduled event? It was very late but there were so many people!

The next time someone bashes New Yorkers as cold and unfriendly, point them to these photos to show them what awesome and fun people New Yorkers truly are!!

AWESOME!!!!! Not a car in site, that is how NYC should be all the time!

I SOOOOO wish I was there! I love snowball fights! And in the middle of Times Square…that is EPIC!

Your photos make me so happy I am sad I missed it– this would have been tremendous fun! Instead, my dog and I were frolicking in the deserted streets of West Village. I will never forget this snowstorm– there hasn’t been a good one in so long! (2004 as far as I can remember)

xoxo, Tina
p.s. just fyi, I linked to you

This made my day!
Snowball fights are great fun, especially when they are with complete strangers. I really wish I was there.
These are awesome photos.

Thank you for sharing.

-Jen

Great photos! Wish I was there.

hohohohohoho!

hohohohohohohoho@ho%com!@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@!

Snowball fights are the best way to bring everybody together no matter what age they are. For some people there, it may have been their first experience and that’s “Only in NY” something like that can happen.

I’m from Quebec City, Canada and yes, snow is a common thing here and sometimes, we take for granted that little snowfall but with today’s climate change, we may see it disappear….

I’m happy that you had fun there and thanks for the nice photos, this is a great souvenir for the participants of that night.

Lovely, just Lovely….

Things like this is what makes NYC so great….and there was no need for any ‘cop to take out his gun’ and ruin the fun…this is why I’m proud to be a native New Yorker.

you made many people smile with your pictures, thanks!

Thanks for sharing these!The only I miss about the snow is the beauty and snowball fights.

I was not greatly impressed with your photos. Very few faces or expressions. The majority of pictures are hooded faceless mannequins in frozen tossing mode. I would have liked to have seen more expression of individuals . You did a a few but not enough in this display. The sepia effect (no real zones) made the snow look dirty and the scene muted) I understand the circumstances were difficult but a thoughtful skilled photographer would have thought out a shot rather than shot without composition into a crowd of frenzied snow throwers. Next time more close ups of the peoples faces and some true black and white zone photography for the full spectrum from white to black with all the zones of grey in between. I give you a c minus

Love it, great work and especially, great action. I took some photos too but didn’t leave my shutter speed as slow, so it was hard to see any snow actually flying. I was wondering, you have these in color too, right? I’ve always thought that Times Square was one of the few places where color can be as dramatic as B&W (especially with the ground being mostly monochromatic and the fashion-style being somewhat muted)

Some of my photos here:
http://danwin.com/snowball-fight-in-times-square/

Jim, thanks for your critique. What you are saying is true but completely besides the point for me. I will and always have traded technique for being able to capture the moment.

I did check out your work. Happy holidays.

Doug Kim

These photos will become iconic of the 21st century–perhaps of a time before the earth warmed so much that snow in NYC becomes rare.

They are in a class with the best.

Hi Dan, I did see your shots. Great work! These are raw files so I could have made them color but I always prefer black and white. It’s like Ted Grant says, “When you shoot color, you’re shooting clothes and the paint on the walls. When you shoot, black and white, you have the chance to concentrate on the soul.”

I kept playing with the shutter speed to get the snow in and then to get the light of the billboards to make silhouettes. I also had longer lenses in my bag but refused to change out in the snow.

Thanks for sharing! Send me more of your work when you get a chance.

Doug Kim

Nice pics and what a fun event.

Pay no attention to Jim. Since you did check out his work, you can clearly see his skill level stops at the disposal camera buy-in level.

I like what you did there.

Looks like fun!! Great photos. I wanna visit NY one day.

These are fabulous. Great capture of such an great scene.

I sympathize with Doug over Jim. Having also been there, and considering the cold, windy, snowy conditions, it was not optimal planning time. I was too busy trying to keep snow from accumulating on my camera to really think out compositions. Also, it was just fun…I went to Times Square to see what kind of fun was happening and was lucky to have had decided to drag a heavy camera there. Kudos to Doug for many fine shots with difficult weather and chaotic subjects.

timeless! these will be famous images years from now. wonderful to see the celebration of true spirit. congrats!

Hey great pictures!!! You are an awesome photographer, and I hope you got that little boy back that is about to hammer you with a snowball! We should have one in Boston, lol.

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! THANKS TO IS SENDING FOR ME.

I was involved in a GREAT snowball fight like this once in high school, in the parking lot of the local Burger King. It was so much fun! 15 years later and I still remember laughing my butt off. It made everyone involved, and there were at least 100, closer. This is what’s cool about the spirit of the holidays.

Stunning pictures! It’s stuff like this that you rarely see anymore that actually FORCED me into having the spirit of the holiday season! Thank you very much for sharing these wonderful pictures, and as someone commented, this is gallery worthy material!

Fabulous!!!!

I can’t stop smiling! I feel as if I were there.

I love my New York!

Those pictures are so great! I love them in b&w! Agree with everyone else – you made me feel like I was there. Great work! I can’t say enuf great things about your photo deck. Thank you.

“Only in New York”

Really?

I mean, it’s great that there was a spontaneous snowball fight – always fun. And, it’s great that it happened in the middle of a big city.

But, c’mon, you aren’t the ones to invent this. Sure, maybe it was “only in New York” because that’s the only place with a Times Square, but I could say something similar if one happened in my backyard – “Only in [my city]” because that’s where my backyard is.

Really, people, get over yourselves. There’s more to this world/country than NYC. And there are people doing non-sensical, fun, spontaneous things in it all the time.

Awesome! Wish I was there! To all the haters, look at all the smiles on everyone’s faces! Burned! Zip it!

I’m so jealous I wasn’t able to join in the fun…I LOVE NY, I LOVE NY!

That’s really cool and looks like lots of fun (I’m hopefully moving to the city soon), but why wasn’t there any traffic? Is there normally not any traffic at that time of night, or was it blocked off for some reason, or what?

Greg Gehr has described this event most eloquently

I was there. My room overlooked the site and we had to visit the snowballing when it started. I looked out the window watching the snow and saw it get started. A great memory for my Birthday trip to NY from Atlanta.

We were there. Our Marriott Hotel room overlooked the site. While watching the snow we saw the snowballing start and joined the fun. A great memory for my Birthday trip from Atlanta.

Reminds me of this video by Animal Collective:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhHQukKXxCw

Really wonderful photos, Doug. I’m featuring you tomorrow in my column at the Daily Kos blog, including this little snippet:

“Freelance photographer Doug Kim captured the merry mayhem and produced a series of black-and-white photos that evoke such a sense of nostalgia that they feel like they could’ve leapt off of Norman Rockwell’s canvas.”

All I can say is: submit those puppies for awards. You really captured something that morning.

Bill

A spontaneous happening at the square
Not planned or thought that night
A release of childlike nature
In the midst of urban blight
A sign of hope to humanity
Twinkling in the darkness
A light that’s hard to see
One of contrast and starkness
An expression of God’s love
Through a simple snowball fight.
But not a fight at all
Just a very special night

hey there i love everything about your shots and i think going with the black and white adds even more drama to this lovely scene. This made my heart feel warm how nice it is to see so many people from so many different walks of life come together to forget everything for just that little while imagine if the whole world could be like this happy just for one day!!! you were so lucky to have experienced this and thank you for sharing with us. Have a great xmas leanne Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom far far away but by viewing these pictures i felt part of this wonderful lovely thing xxx

And a quick note to Robert Harrington you wrote so lovely what i was thinking your words sum it up perfectly xx

That is SO awesome!!! I wish I could’ve been there but I was way over here in MN

Just want to thank everyone again for the amazing amount of comments and messages I’ve been receiving from this series. It is awesome that I was able to capture a little bit of joy last Saturday and share it with so many.

Thanks Angela and Tina; gave you a little reciprocal link love.

And lastly, I love this town! All you have to do is step outside and let the streets take you to the next adventure.

Doug Kim

Gives me some hope that even in the hectic world that we live in, some people can still find time to have fun and enjoy the little things… Something everyone needs to realize.

wooohoooo!!

Sweeet ! I love snow ….planing a snow ball ambush later today when we get off from work… hope the boss is in a good mood and we get to keep our jobs .

I wish I could have gone, be i’m personally be too scared to bring my camera. lol.

Awesome photos!!!

btw i wanted to let u know i linked to your website from mine and posted just three photos with your name and full rights that you took them on my website. all the photos have links to this page if clicked on…

this makes me believe even more that nothing is accidental Doug – you were supposed to be there with your camera at that exact moment. Beautiful pictures. I was there, but much earlier in the evening when the snow had just started piling up, and everyone was so very excited.

This is beautiful. If we could all join in a harmless snow ball fight maybe war wouldn’t be taken away so many innocent lives. I love your photos. Great job with showing the world a moment of happiness.

Hi, here’s the VIDEO montage for the Times Square Snowball Fight, with all the best parts put to music.
It’s only a minute long, but IT’S BIG !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reoIKYgJ1QU

Glad no one pulled a gun like in D.C..

I’m happy to see you guys got the snow instead of Cleveland. I’ll be missing the white Christmas though. Looks like fun. I spent 2 yrs. in Albuquerque and the snow never got deep enough to have any fun. It got just as cold though! Then 120 degrees in the shade during the summer! No thank you. I came back home to Ohio. Moderate temps and no appreciable earthquakes…and no roaches…and higher wages!

But I digress,

Lyn

I would have loved to be a part if this!

Love the pics, all of them. Actually so nice to see everyone having fun with the snow, I have it here all winter and we never seem to get out for a good old snowball fight. Had I been there in Time Square instead of in September I would certainly have joined in….:-)))

Every face is full of life.
Pure joy rooted in the harmless fun of hitting some unaware sucker in the back of the head with a well packed snowball!

Made my day!

Congrats!

Magical shots. Makes me homesick for South Dakota. For me, the only thing that I feel like Portland, Oregon is lacking – snow; snowmen, snow angels, snow forts, snowball fights.

hey carl….

“GOD” has nothing to do with this or anything else. Get a life. Just a bunch of people having a good time.

Why do you jesus lovers always have to ruin everything by bringing god and religion into it??????

This is one of the single most wonderful, awesome, inspiring, beautiful and emotional experiences I have seen captured by camera in 2009. I only wish I could have been there.
Thank you for the photos. It completely made my day!

I loved this.

Wish I was there

Thank you for the spectacular photos.

I love New York

I’m in Jamaica, but i’d fly over just for that fight. lol
I Miss New York!

Your photos have joined the special group of wonderful pictures showcasing New York City. Great Job!

Your a true gentleman and I am sorry if i ruffled some feathers, but I know you could have done better. You are very talented and passionate artist and obviously put serious effort into your work. My criticism was not meant hurt or discourage but to express things that I observed and felt honestly about without guile, As we all know art is subjective and different people see things a bit differently at times. I know I am not an Ansel Adams and I am open to constructive criticism as well. Emphasis on constructive. Your total body of work is excellent, this one event could have turned out better had the conditions been better and more controllable. With respect in humility. Jim A.

I was at this snowball fight it was so much fun!

I was there!!!! It was really just a once in a lifetime moment. To answer a few questions there were two sides. It was really as fun as it looked. There was a real connection between everyone. I didnt hear about it, my friends and i were walking into time square at the time and stumbled onto it. The snow was perfect for throwing. It was still coming down hard when it started. And my favorite, when a tractor trailer got stuck at a red light everyone would forget the teams and join forces to fight the trucks. It was really a dream when I look back on it…

This restores my faith in humanity.

FANTASTIC! I see christmas cards of these photos in fifty years! This is classic and beautiful! Good work!

Wonderfull…!!!

Spontaneous and fun, that’s what makes times like these, captured in you pictures, show us. It is wonderful to know that people still know how to have fun during hard times.
And the black and white just gave it the right touch to make everything seem so inviting.
Great job!

The smiles on the faces are absolutely wonderful. Beautiful shots.

And the NYTimes had the nerve to publish reports the NY is the unhappiest place in America….

I don’t believe it for a single second

its hard to believe , what expressions of the young and old ones
I wish I were there too
Indra arya

Every time I go to NYC, I always think about how much fun a snowball fight would be in Times Square. Thank you for living my dream without me.
If only the drive wouldn’t have been so hard in the snow. I totally would have joined in.

I put a link to your photos on my blog (and I will put them on my twitter post as well). Wow. Magical. A magical moment, and you got it. The images are fantastic. I wish I could have been there.

Great images! Looks like it was a lot of fun to photograph!

Looks like fun,NOT! I’m here in Florida and it’s much more fun here!

Great photos of fun in the snow.

That nite was so much fun! I felt 12 years old again. That snow was the true fountain of youth! The Times Square snowball fight was the most fun I ever had in NYC.

Very nice photos!

To bad that cop showed up :/.

PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL, AND SNOW BALL FIGHTS. TAKE AWAY SOME OF OUR MONEY AND WE WILL STILL FIND A WAY TO HAVE FUN. TAKE THAT SCROOGE

wow, great pics. YOU ARE AWESOME DUDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

FROM
THE 3 AMIGOS, AND KDAWG

your bravery under fire does not go unnoticed, show us more please.

we have like the same name reversed, you take great pictures.new york in black and white is surreal.

Nice images, full of dynamic. One can really feel it!
Thanks for sharing!
-r-

Great shots, dude.

joyous.

——-yeah–yeah–you are all bragging because you got all that neat snow-
It’s not right– here we are —in Olmsted Falls , Ohio –just west of –
Cleveland, – Sat. Dec. 26. 2009 – 48 degrees and sunshine—heck—–
—some people get all the breaks..
—frankCC…
—

Fantastic shots (both photographic and snow-based). Sometimes the most fun is the spontaneous kind, eh?

A few years back I brought a group of students to NYC and we arrived during a blizzard. The next day we were touring Central Park and were ambushed with a torrent of snowballs by some college students in a gazebo. One of my students turned to me and asked “Can we throw back?” I had to pause between throws to say, “For sure! I can’t do it alone!”

Good times!

Brilliant photos. Made me LOL! What a great buzz going on! Thanks! :O)

That’s awesome!!! Spending the holidays is sunny Florida has its charm, but this is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better:)))

global warming! quick polar bears are drowning because of the heat. oh wait

While these photos are fantastic in that they capture people spontaneously having fun in an unlikely location, the reactions on this page are just another example of the tendency to romanticize New York City every given chance. When I read comments like “only in New York,” and “New Yorkers really know how to have fun,” it makes me wanna dig a hole in my own thigh. New Yorkers get a reputation for being unfriendly because they are exactly that. This snowball fight occurred in Times Square, where the only people on the streets are out-of-towners/tourists. If these Florida kids came to a real NY neighborhood and threw a snowball at someone, they would’ve gotten one thrown right back at their face with a frozen D battery hidden inside of it. I live in Brooklyn and I would have to say that that as a whole, NY’ers are miserable people. Some of you people need to get real. The photos, however, are awesome.

Amidst the flood of mainstream media images of war, violence and misery of 2009, ain’t this a sight for sore eyes!!!!

Merci.

Thanks so much for taking these great pics…as I looked through them I could hear the laughter and the giggles…what a merry and joyful sound to fill our hearts as we end this difficult year….Peace

Very nice Pictures of snow fighting

I love the 3rd photo. The motion of the snow flying by the lens is a great catch. Love it!

wish I was there!!!!!!

Sure this can happen anywhere that it snows. Sure this may not be done by the tried and true “New-Yorker”, but that doesn’t mean that the photos are not amazing. I think they do capture a much needed sense of indiscriminate love for our peers, young and old, that just happened to show it’s face right then and there. Again, amazing photos!

Doug,

All is right with the world. Thanks for being in the present moment and sharing that with the rest of us. Peace and good will to men.

Doug, Great images! Thanks so much for sharing! I would have loved to have participated myself, despite my age.

Dave

Brilliant you captured the moment, I love it! everyone was giving it there all, looked like they all had fun!

Awesome! Love the moments you captured!

bleh, New York city is so overdone

wow! there is so many ppl!!!!!!! haha is that in new york? gosh i want to go there!

the most important part of taking a great picture is being there. well done! beautiful work and impeccable timing!

Love these images. Found your site via Guy. Really great work. Hope you didn’t get nailed with a snowball!

Great fun. Now we just need to roll that snowball across the country. Every city should be having a snowball fight this winter. Great photos.

Wonderful View, this Snow makes me feel like shivering and it has truly transformed Times Square into some Fighting place

It goes to prove that all the fun in the world is not dead. Great moment and wonderfully captured!

Awesome! Love the moments you captured! All is right with the world. Thanks for being in the present moment and sharing that with the rest of us. Peace and good will to men.

I love, love, love these photos. Great Job.

For the ignorant person who posted this:

Man, I so miss NYC. I can’t wait to leave this hell hole in the south and get back to reality.

ATL Guy ( December 22, 2009 at 9:19 am )

You should leave and go back to New York if you hate Atlanta so much. It’s people like you that make cities unpleasant to live in stupid. Everything was positive on this blog until you posted!

Great photos. All the nations of the world should put down their weapons and arm themselves with snowballs.

Spent 3 days playing dumb tourist in NYC about 2 months ago. Wonderful experience. Wonderful people.

Really inspiring…It is great to see adults out there acting like kids. I really forget to do that most of the time.

Amazing shots! Looks like a wonderful time. Wish I had made it there.

these are awesome photos. wish i could have been there.

I want to be there! The videos are also very good…thanks for sharing, I’ll start a snowball fight here just to commemorate this big one there!
Classic shots- shop them around so they can be archived!,

Wow!!!!! This is amazing!!!!!
It would have been so nice to be there!!!

BTW… look at this link, i really hope you like it… please comment.
Muak!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/huguesluka/

This is great! Nice pictures.

I would have loved to witness this! As a Colorado native who has recently moved to northern NJ, I can’t fully express how appreciative I am to see photos like this published. I can tell you first-hand that the impression “Westies” have of East Coast folks is completely inaccurate – from what I can see, East Coasters work hard and know how to PLAY HARD, too!

Fantastic pictures!! Amazing… Would have loved to be there.

I’m going to build a time machine to go there ……who’s in?

Can’t see anything like that ever happening in Times Square, but I’m glad it did. Maybe the new layout has improved the atmosphere.

Love em!!!!!!!!!

Ahhh, this makes me miss NYC even more. A city where anything seems possible…

http://jimasks.me/if-you-knew-for-sure-heaven-and-hell-existed-would-you-change-how-you-lived

You know, after seeing this, I think this next decade might not be so bad after all.

Lovely, almost makes me feel like living in NYC

Awesome, thanks for sharing.

Wow beautifully atmospheric pictures!

I wish I were there!!! Awesome!

that is freedom

The way wars should be fought.

Nice pics…

“Only in New York” – er… no. It’s going on all over the country here currently (UK).

So the weather proof D300 held up. Great fun time, good job capturing the moment.

Collect photos around the world in ‘key’ cities of snowball fights! Gotta try and get this kind of thing accomplished because the photos not only look great but capture, for all viewers, the fun and simplicity of these moments. Now if we can get some from around the globe!

OMG ! Amazing pictures , I wish I was there

Totally brilliant photos. I’m so jealous I was not there, mind you I’m based near London so I doubt that would have even been possible

I would love to have been there! Enjoying the pics anyway!

I keep coming back to this. Everywhere else I look it seems like so much of our world is falling apart. I guess it always looks that way. But this page always gives me hope. Thanks

This series of images is Spectacular! It should be published in a book!!!!!! The year time square became an innocent, fun, playground for all to engage with each other in a positive event of strangers living collectively in the moment of what nature brought to the park….a ginormous snowball event!!! They made me feel like time had stood still and strangers came together to “play” like in childhood when there was no stress, no violence but rather all laughter and innocent fun! Simply AWESOME photographs and very well composed. It fealt like I was there dodging snowballs in the motion you portrayed…great shutter spped use! I’m impressed. Talk about being in the right place at the right time equipped with the means and the talent to capture a priceless moment in time…and in all places…Time Square…where TIME never slows down, let alone stops for a gigantic snowball war!